Combustion products generators



Dec. 31, 1957 M. E.-MILLER COMBUSTION PRODUCTS GENERATORS Filed 001;. 3,1955 I rwenior:

United States Patent COMBUSTION PRODUCTS GENERATORS Monroe E. Miller,Washington, D. C.

Application October 3, 1955, Serial No. 537,956

2 Claims. (Cl. 6039.7)

This invention relates to combustion products generators, and aims toprovide a novel and useful generator of that type consisting of two ormore units in a series, whereby the burning or explosive action in eachunit will aid in preparing the next unit of the series for such actiontherein.

Another object of the invention is to use the pressure of combustion ineach generator unit of a series as directly as possible'for supplyingthe next unit of the series with air.

A further object is to provide a novel combustion prod ucts generatorunit to be used with others in a series, whereby they will aid eachother in providing a supply of air without the need for using a pump,fan, or other device having a moving part.

A still further object is the provision of a generator of the kindindicated which is simple in construction, and efficient in operation,and which has other advantages as pointed out hereinafter. V

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a medium section of two of the improved generator units of aseries, same parts being shown in full;

Fig. 2 is a diagram looking at the discharge ends of a number of thegenerator units arranged in an annular series; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with two generator units arranged ina pair.

A series of combustion products generator units are used, and as shownin Fig. 1, each unit comprises a pipe or other fluid conductor 1 ofsuitable material, form and size, which provides a combustion chamber.This chamber has one end open to provide an outlet 2 for the dischargeof the products of combustion, and at its other end the chamber has acontinuously open air inlet 3 of considerably smaller size than theoutlet 2.

A fuel nozzle 4 extends into the air inlet 3 of each chamber fordelivering liquid fuel into the chamber, and said nozzle is suppliedwith fuel through a branch of the supply pipe 5, a suitable controlvalve 6 being provided for regulating the flow of fuel through thenozzle, in order to increase and decrease the consumption of fuel. Thevalves 6 are operated simultaneously by suitable means 7, and a checkvalve 8 is provided for each nozzle 4, especially when needed to preventthe fuel from receding from the nozzle.

In order to cause air to enter each chamber through its air inlet, apipe or other conduit 9 of suitable crosssectional area is providedwhich has the receiving end 10 and the discharge end 11. The dischargeend of the conduit is beyond the inlet 3, and is so arranged that whenfluid is discharged from the conduit it impels the fluid in the chamberto move away from said inlet and toward the outlet, thus causing air toflow in through the inlet 3. The discharge end 11 of the conduit, inserving as an ejector nozzle, may be at any suitable location in or withrespect to the chamber 1, but it should extend 2,817,952 Patented Dec.31, 1957 away from the air inlet 3 or should otherwise be so an rangedas to produce the desired pressure effect needed in the chamber. Asshown, the discharge end 11 is concentric within the chamber between theinlet and outlet, but other arrangements can be used as may be foundbest under diflerent conditions.

The conduit 9 of each chamber provides simple means for enabling air tobe supplied, since the receiving end 10 is arranged to receive fluidunder pressure from the preceding chamber of the series. This is done byhaving the receiving end of the conduit extend toward, and arranged at ashort distance from, the air inlet 3 of the preceding chamber of theseries so when combustion of fuel occurs therein, a small part of theburning or exploding mixture discharges out through the air inlet, andis directed into the receiving end of the conduit 9, thus to force fluidthrough the conduit under pressure.

Each conduit 9, as shown in Fig. 1, is provided with a control valve 12,and these valves can be operated by suitable means 13, thus to regulate,if desired, the flow of fluid. The control valves 12 need not be usedexcepting when desired, in lieu of the fuel valves 6.

Each chamber 1 has a spark plug or other suitable ignition means 14 soarranged as to ignite the mixture of air and fuel passing into thechamber. The ignition means can be energized continuously during theoperation of the generator, or may be energized intermittently by anywell known means available. When intermittently energized spark plugsare used,-it is possible to use well-known fuel injectors forintroducing the fuel charges into the respective chambers while, orafter, air flows into the chambers, and before the respective sparkplugs are energized.

The chambers 1 can be arranged in any suitable way according'to thepurpose for which they are used. Fig. 2 shows them in an annulararrangement for driving a turbines wheel of a power plant. In using anumber of combustion chambers for a turbine wheel of large diameter, thewheel can receive more cooling effect than a small wheel for a singlejet as proposed heretofore.

In operation, the generator is primed in any suitable way, such as byforcing fuel from the nozzles 4, and igniting it by an ignition means14. The explosion in the corresponding chamber results in some of thefluid passing out through the air inlet 3 and into the conduit 9 of thenext chamber of the series. This produces a discharge of fluid from theend 11 of the conduit, and thereby impels fluid in the second chamber ofthe series to flow from its air inlet toward the outlet, in order tocause air to enter, the receiving end 10 of the conduit being spacedfrom the air inlet for this purpose. Air flowing through the air inletof the second chamber past the fuel nozzle results in fuel mixing withthe air, and this mixture is ignited by the ignition means 14 of thechamber. The action is then repeated in the second and third chambers,and so on, as described for the first and second chambers. Excepting thecheck valves 8 which open and close automatically, and the fuel controlvalves, which do not move when adjusted to a predetermined position, thegenerator has no moving parts. All the action is accomplished by themotion of exploding and expanding fluids.

With the discharge ends of the conduits 9 near enough to the air inlets3, flames or sparks in entering a chamber, into which a mixture of airand fuel enters, will ignite the mixture, and the ignition means 14 isnot needed.

When the fluid in a chamber flows past the discharge end 11 of a conduit9, due to combustion of the fuel charge in the chamber, there can besome change of pressure in the conduit, but the expansive eflect and themotion of the fluid oppose each other at the end 11 of the conduit.Since the velocity of the fluid in a combustion chamber increases as itmoves to the outlet 2, due to the expansive action of combustion, thepressure etfectin entering the end 11 of the conduit 9 will depend onthe location of said end of the conduit nearer to or farther from theair inlet. A point can be found which is best under normal operatingconditions. It is obvious that a suitable check valve can beused in eachconduit 9 in order to prevent reverse flow of fluid therein, as wellknown in the art.

The invention as claimed hereinafter can also be used for, gaseous fuel,or for pulverized solid fuel, by using means available in the art forintroducing such fuel into the combustion chambers so as to mix with theair entering the chambers.

Fig. 3 shows a pair of chambers 21'having theair inlets 2,2, and fluidconduits 23 having the discharge ends- 24 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, butwith the receiving ends 25 of the conduits so arranged that eachregisters with the air inlet ofthe other chamber. This form of generatoris suitable for jet propulsion, for boilers and furnaces, blow torches,and for other purposes.

Any number of pairs of chambers can be used for a power plant, insteadof having four, six, eight ormore chambers in one continuous series, andthe ignition means can be of any suitable arrangement accordingly. Withtwo or more combustion chambers arranged in a row,

each chamber can drive 'a separate turbine wheel, and

such wheels can be mounted on a common shaft. This is of advantage sinceit enables the turbine wheels to be efiectively cooled, and consequentlythey will not deteriorate as when all of the heat of a generator isapplied to the same blades or other portions of one. turbine wheel.

There is an important advantage in the use of intermittent explosionssuccessively in a plurality of combustion chambers, since the proportionof air-cooledsurfaces of the chambers varies directly with the number ofcham- 4 bers used, and thus by using a sutficient number of chambers, itis possible to avoid the excessive heating of the metal or othermaterial of which the chambers and other parts are composed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A combustion products generator comprising a plurality of combustionchambers each having an air inlet and a combustion products outlet, andconduits connecting the chambers in a continuous, series, each conduithaving one end arranged to receive fluid discharged out from oneparticular chamber through its air inlet, and to allow air, to flow intosaid inlet and into said particular chamber, the other end of saidconduit extending to the next successive chamber of the series and beingdirected away from the air inlet of said successive chamber and soarranged that presssure fluid in the conduit is discharged with anejector action from the conduit and moves the fluid in saidnextsuccessive chamber away from its inlet, whereby air flows in throughsaid inlet and into said next successive chamber.

2. A combustion products generator according to claim 1, wherein thefirst mentioned end of each conduit is outside of, and is spaced fromthe air inlet of, said particular chamber, in order that air can flowinto said inlet and into said particular chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS617,753, Pontois Jan. 17, 1899 1,163,333 Galbraith et al. Dec. 7, 19151,801,007 Jezler' Apr. 14, 1931 2,628,471 Dunbar Feb. 17, 1953 2,684,571Wright July 27, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS,

345,486 France Oct. 17, 1904 515,635 Germany Jan. 8, 1931

